Texas athletes petitioning University to replace "The Eyes of Texas" and to no longer require athletes to sing it

[mdmost 43004]

5 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

Yes.  I’m an educated man.  But I’m afraid I’m not acquainted with the student production of the minstrel show 117 years ago.  
 

Does everyone performing in the show wear black face?  I really don’t know.  
 

I thought minstrel shows were variety shows. Some in black face singing very racist lyrics making fun of blacks and other songs and skits that weren’t in black face and without racist lyrics.  
 

Given the lyrics of the Eyes that aren’t racist, it’s possible it was in the latter.  
 

If there are records or pictures from the show, it might be worthwhile to know.  

 

[victory88 5668]

18 hours ago, Burntcowboy said:

I give a fuck, and so do my two girls that graduated from UT. There are different opinions on the subject. Disagreeing with the opposition doesn’t make them stupid or wrong. We are going to have to agree to disagree 

You and your daughters give a fuck about a song?  That's fair I guess.  Seems like most of the student body is indifferent and the student government has discussed removing the song even before the BLM movement.  I went to UT.  My siblings went to UT.  My wife went to UT, all of my in-laws went to UT.  None of them care about the song.  UT-Austin is a school with the motto "what starts here changes the world".  They care more about being a top academic institution and building our future leaders.  I hope they listen to the students and take the correct measures, whatever they may be, to uphold our mission statement.  We need to be an example of what a top academic research institution should be like for students of all colors, religions, etc.  

I think a great start would be to sit with the student body and listen to them.  Remove names and statues of anyone remotely associated with racism or slavery.  That should be a no brainer.  Completely remove the Cowboys organization.  I was in a similar one and had plenty of friends in Cowboys.  They constantly do stupid shit and UT is always way too lenient in punishing them.  Just get rid of them all together and let the students figure out which student organization represents this university the best.  Inform the students the song was meant to unify the student body and alumni.  Let them know they are not required to sing it and to think about it and discuss it.  If the majority of the student body does not want the song, then change it.  Let them know that the university cannot donate to BLM as we are a research academic institution and not a political group.  Instead, the university can use the 0.5% of the athletic budget to develop programs and scholarships for black athletes and students.  I think the students and players would find that to be a very reasonable effort by the university.  These are young kids with hopeful idealistic views that are trying to make the school and world a better place.  I agree with their intentions and I think by educating them on what is do-able and showing that we are actually putting effort into the progress they want, I think they would be very happy and it will also show the country that UT-Austin is an all inclusive school devoted to bettering this country and developing their students.  

Edited June 13, 2020 by victory88

[Lurch 5931]

Yeah, there are quite a lot of black people disagreeing with you on this. They are protesting in the streets about it right now. 

And they’re specifically trying to tell Apex that he and this “not so bad” interpretation of today’s society is a huge part of the problem. His response, rather than look internally, is to blame the messenger.

[mdmost 43004]

2 minutes ago, Apex73 said:

Ok and there are quite a few black people that agree with me too and I think they are more reasonable.  They don't all think the same way you know.

Links to all the quite a few black people that agree with you?

[ztejas 43467]

14 minutes ago, Lurch said:

 

No one is being deprived of freedom of speech.

 

I didn't say they were - I'm just concerned with the way some of this stuff is playing out and being received that we will start infringing on certain liberties. We should be encouraging discourse now more than ever and sometimes it seems like we are moving in the opposite direction.

[Revolution512 1487]

4 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Yeah, there are quite a lot of black people disagreeing with you on this. They are protesting in the streets about it right now. 

And we all know the vocal majority to be deep thinkers on all issues

[USNALonghorn 5078]

My initial reaction to the song being on the list of proposed changes was that of shock and confusion. The other changes on the list made sense and were very appropriate. I recited the lyrics, trying to look for any connotations and racist undertones. Then I learned about it's origin and the environment it was originally brought up in. As much as it is a hard pill to swallow, it's a good feeling to be enlightened and learn something new. It's good to be presented a perspective I never realized even existed (about the song). When these protests and riots broke out, many including myself swore to at least listen to the black community's perspective on systemic racism in our country. Despite having much emotional attachment to The Eyes of Texas, I'm listening to the message with an open mind.

The hardest part about letting the song go is all the great memories associated with it. Witnessing it played in the Rose Bowl when we beat Michigan and USC, RRS victories, thumping Georgia and many other times where our players demonstrated the true meaning of Texas Football to the tune of that song are very special memories to all of us. However, if all the the other changes on that list are made and the black Longhorn community still has the same feeling about the song, then there's nothing a reasonable person can say against it. At the end of the day, all of my great memories that are associated with the song exist because of THE PLAYERS. They made it happen, the song did not. I'm not going to tell them what they should or shouldn't tolerate hearing because they're the ones in the field, making things happen. We owe them at that much.

So if it comes down to it, I guess I'll just have to create new memory associations with the new song.

[Lurch 5931]

Links to all the quite a few black people that agree with you?

Diamond and silk.gif

[stork642 4498]

44 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

I had no clue that not only is our university so blatantly racist, but that many in our fanbase are as well

Whether anyone is racist or not that classification certainly won’t be decided by someone as irrational as yourself.  Let me guess...ballgame?

[Pimphand 5764]

The number of times I have sung The Eyes of Texas and thought man this song would be great if not for the racist undertones is 0.

The number of times I have sung the Eyes of Texas and I wished it wasn't set to I Been Working On The Railroad is 100% of the times.

[Apex73 313]

1 minute ago, Lurch said:

 

And they’re specifically trying to tell Apex that he and this “not so bad” interpretation of today’s society is a huge part of the problem. His response, rather than look internally, is to blame the messenger.

 

No dude I take personal responsibility for my own behavior but I take none for the actions of those years ago.  They aren't the only ones with a voice.  They don't have a monopoly on deciding what should happen.  How old are you?

[Apex73 313]

4 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Links to all the quite a few black people that agree with you?

Seriously?  How old are you?  Are you literally of the opinion that every black person thinks the same way about this?

Edited June 13, 2020 by Apex73

[Luka Skywalker 152]

1 hour ago, immamac said:

This isn't about dollars. This is about fundamental change. BLM is an organization and a movement trying to press the agenda of change, it's up to each and every one of us to embrace that agenda and make the changes. 

You are a moron. In the end, it is always about the dollar.

[victory88 5668]

30 minutes ago, immamac said:

any others agree with locking this up?

I don't think so.  I'm actually happy that most on here are open to listening and supporting the athletes.  I think it's good to talk about this.  That's what these students want.  

Edited June 13, 2020 by victory88

[mdmost 43004]

3 minutes ago, Revolution512 said:

And we all know the vocal majority to be deep thinkers on all issues

You're right. They just decided to go along with protests for the fun of it. None of them are doing this because they have a distinctly different experience in this country that they would like to see changed.  

[GHOSTUSER 361]

This the brave new world we live. Demands by some of our players based on flimsy circumstantial connection to a minstrel show renders cherished Alma mater irredeemably racist and verboten with no debate lest those of us like myself question the basis of such insanity. The majority of our fans are not going to have any issue with this it all I’m sure. I hope our big money donors have called into CDC this morning threatening to pull their donations and fuck with the capital campaign if the Eyes is removed. This is America. Money talks  

[mdmost 43004]

2 minutes ago, Apex73 said:

Seriously?  How old are you?  Are you literally of the opinion that every black person thinks the same way about this?

I mean a poll would work. You have shown you really don't give a shit to listen to what the other side wants to say. So back your claims up with something. 

[Lurch 5931]

No dude I take personal responsibility for my own behavior but I take none for the actions of those years ago.  They aren't the only ones with a voice.  They don't have a monopoly on deciding what should happen.  How old are you?

We have a responsibility to correct the mistakes of those before us, particularly ones that left systematic racism in place.

45. Plenty of time still to clean up from the selfish apathy of the prior generation.

[Revolution512 1487]

4 minutes ago, mdmost said:

You're right. They just decided to go along with protests for the fun of it. None of them are doing this because they have a distinctly different experience in this country that they would like to see changed.  

That’s correct, but that group isn’t the vocal majority. The people after real change aren’t calling for a list of demands like this.

[Goodman 3273]

4 minutes ago, Luka Skywalker said:

You are a moron. In the end, it is always about the dollar.

If you truly want a conversation, simply keep it civil. The dollar can't be ignored because you are correct, it is always about the $. 

Here's a question: Do we think the players announced this without giving Tom a heads up? As Rod Babers pointed out on his Friday show, that would add a complex layer to this for he as the leader of this team.

[Pancho 44856]

2 hours ago, cabowabo said:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/77-black-births-to-single-moms-49-for-hispanic-immigrants
 

So, this isn’t a problem at all? Hmm....ok.  I heard this number the other day on the news and could not believe it was true. Apparently it is. 

You're quoting a radial right wing website, and it's an opinion piece.  Not only that, there is no connect that explains how being a single parent is "what's wrong" with the Black community and how that relates to the issues our football players are bringing up.

Fuck outta here. 

[Lurch 5931]

That’s correct, but that group isn’t the vocal majority. The people after real change aren’t calling for a list of demands like this.

These gentlemen wanted to see where they could have an immediate impact, and it seems to me they hit their mark well. There are thousands of paper cut changes needing to be made across the country. It’s not just big ticket items that make a difference.

[CfRhTxStBobcats 602]

22 hours ago, Nope said:

Collegiate athletes actually realizing and leveraging the power they have is a pretty awesome thing to see IMO

Except those changes really changes nothing. I'm pretty sure a vast majority of students and student athletes have no idea whom all of those buildings were named after until someone got in their ear recently. Buildings, change the names, I couldn't care less, tweak the damn song, not that difficult, donating money or else, that's extortion. 

[Apex73 313]

11 minutes ago, mdmost said:

You're right. They just decided to go along with protests for the fun of it. None of them are doing this because they have a distinctly different experience in this country that they would like to see changed.  

That is so vague. Everyone has a distinctly different experience in this country is not limited to just one group of people and even within that group they have distinctly different experiences. What are they really changing?  They are trying to change things that will have no impact on bettering their communities.  

[Revolution512 1487]

4 minutes ago, Lurch said:

 

These gentlemen wanted to see where they could have an immediate impact, and it seems to me they hit their mark well. There are thousands of paper cut changes needing to be made across the country. It’s not just big ticket items that make a difference.

 

This has no basis, are you speaking on their behalf? You have absolutely no idea what makes a difference for someone else. You’re guessing based on guilt, it’s solving nothing.

[Apex73 313]

5 minutes ago, Lurch said:

 

These gentlemen wanted to see where they could have an immediate impact, and it seems to me they hit their mark well. There are thousands of paper cut changes needing to be made across the country. It’s not just big ticket items that make a difference.

 

What difference will it really make in their own communities issues?  This is like me saying hip hop makes me feel discriminated against so we need to erase all the years of an awesome genre of music to make me feel more comfortable.  I love hip hop so I would never support that notion but you get my point.

[Pancho 44856]

Look...

First off, the Eyes isn't going to go away or change.  Let's start with that.  

Second, the rest of the shit on that list is justifiable and the University should deal with it.  Those are very valid concerns that can create meaningful change. 

Third, it's 1:17pm.  Is it too early to drink?

But Fourth--I've been singing The Eyes since 2003 when I transferred in to UT, and it gave me chills then and it gives me chills now.  I didn't know about its racist history until recently, and my only reaction was "wow."  If we get rid of it, I won't care.  If we keep it, I won't care.  I care about The University of Texas, and a song isn't going to change that.  We could have the fucking theme to Blue's Clues as our alma mater and I wouldn't give a shit if that meant a roll of National Championships and Big 12 titles in football and basketball.  

Did I have some "racial incidents" at UT?  Ehh, not really. The only thing I got was white people asking me which sport I played, but I would bet nearly every Black person on campus got that.  FWIW, I always gave different sports as my answers each time.  The responses were hilarious. 

With that said, our players are Black men first.  They will play for UT for at most 4 years, but they'll be Black their entire lives.  Their life experiences should not be discounted just because they are players.  And if you don't think Herman approved this, then you're a fucking idiot.  

[NAVY 6747]

I like the song. I think we all do. 

What I would like more is the university I love being responsive to social upheaval and showing community leadership during these shitty times. This is an opportunity to be better. 

Let’s get onboard and help navigate. we can all end up somewhere better together 

Love y’all. Fuck y’all. Hook’em 

 

[Bruno Sardine 147]

33 minutes ago, victory88 said:

Let them know that the university cannot donate to BLM as we are a research academic institution and not a political group. 

The Eyes of Texas Fund. Gives X million dollars every year to movements/organizations that promote racial justice. UT athletes have some kind of input and help select the organizations. Each performance of the Eyes of Texas is linked to this fund-raising effort. For each home game the Eyes of Texas Fund will highlight a particular issue or historical event or personage related to the cause of social justice. UT athletes will have input into this. 

I understand there are limitations on what the University can do, but couldn’t such an entity be private? 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Bruno Sardine

[RollLeft 5045]

29 minutes ago, EuroHorn said:

Just rewrite the song and lyrics  to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. 

All our Palestinian and atheist students say boo to your Jew loving religious song!  

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

56 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Siap...

 

If this is what the Students believe “you cannot get away” meant... I can 100% see their point of view. 

is there any evidence at all this was ever the meaning of the lyrics? the article linked in the tweet does speak of it. 
 

One interesting note: per the article it was first performed in the opera house and only later used in minstrel shows. 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Xian

[Hiphopopotamos 20875]

3 hours ago, Apex73 said:

So in all of it's years of existence nobody gave a shit about that until now.  In fact you should quit using the term African American.  Most of them are born and raised Americans and have never been to Africa.  I wouldn't call myself German American even if that is my ancestry.  Btw a lot of black people were singing right along with the eyes of Texas for years.  So this is just more virtue signaling.

Jesus.  Fucking.  Christ.

You can walk out the door and no one give a fuck where you came from.  An African American walks out the door and the 'African' part of their heritage is there for the entire world to see.   

[GHOSTUSER 361]

59 minutes ago, immamac said:

any others agree with locking this up?

Why? Isn’t the whole point of the message board is to discuss. This is a big deal. People are sick and tired of being silenced 

[victory88 5668]

9 minutes ago, Revolution512 said:

That’s correct, but that group isn’t the vocal majority. The people after real change aren’t calling for a list of demands like this.

A list of demands like this???  What in their demands is unreasonable in your opinion?  Do you not want the buildings named after racists to be renamed?  Do you still want statues of people that supported slavery and segregation on campus?  You want to keep "The Eyes", which can be argued was introduced and sung to glorify slavery and treating an entire race like subhumans, as our official school song that represents our academic institution?  Are you against the school utilizing a very small portion of it's profits to help with programs that could benefit the black community, athletes, and student body?  The same black students that we beg to come to our school over other offers they have so we can watch them play and make money off of them.  I'm just curious, what about their demands is unreasonable?  

[Landomatic 3813]

I heard aggy made all that up years ago to negative recruit against Texas and it just kind of stuck as urban legend.

[Michael Knight 12988]

38 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Links to all the quite a few black people that agree with you?

Here's all of them

https://www.c-span.org/video/?472972-1/president-trump-start-holding-campaign-rallies#

 

[NoctambulantBrobdingnagian 530]

1 hour ago, immamac said:

this thread is honestly disgusting and shows how ridiculously white privileged this fanbase is. 

thanks guys, I've now laughed with a sooner and now I'm agreeing with an Aggie

and people who think getting rid of a song is a bridge too far are agreeing with

@Iconoclast Texan

[Js1 85376]

1 hour ago, GreenspointTexas said:

I see also that many in our fanbase are fucking idiots that cant detect sarcasm to save their lives. 
 

Seeing this thread, its no wonder people are having a hard time with a single song

There was some projection with who negged that post.  

[mdmost 43004]

6 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

I heard aggy made all that up years ago to negative recruit against Texas and it just kind of stuck as urban legend.

Hey, we finally found Icono's "outside agitators". A fairly elaborate conspiracy that even involves a UT professor and photoshopping old pictures to show Cowboys in blackface. 

[Murfdogg21 4413]

Was the demand to only patronize non-white artists to make all future monuments politically correct and advance our university and society towards racial equality?

[TornACL 7698]

1 hour ago, Apex73 said:

No ones asking them to solve all of society's problems.  They are being heard and I don't understand how just banning and renaming shit fixes anything.  It just pisses people off.  They have accomplished nothing.

They have accomplished nothing?

They just started. 

[GHOSTUSER 361]

1 hour ago, mdmost said:

So you think Cedric Golden is lying about what former players told him? Again, if this how they felt, it was how they felt. 

What someone FEELS based on LIES or ERRONEOUS FACTS is BULLSHIT. They need to be educated. This is a teaching moment.

[Apex73 313]

10 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Jesus.  Fucking.  Christ.

You can walk out the door and no one give a fuck where you came from.  An African American walks out the door and the 'African' part of their heritage is there for the entire world to see.   

I fail to see how that is relevant to what I said.  That doesn't change the fact that they weren't born in Africa.  They are Americans.  The fact that they are black doesn't constitute people calling them African.  So do black people in Canada call themselves African Canadian?  How about anywhere else black people exist outside of Africa?  Its a term that was shoved down the throat of the American public by Jesse Jackson in the 80's. Not saying it should be banned, its just stupid to refer to people as that when they are generations removed from Africa and most have never been.

[Surly Bevo 25039]

Maybe Dave Chapelle was on to something. We need to have an end all be all "Racial Draft" for all the marbles, agree that once it's done we good.  Only so many picks for so much stuff and like the fat kid who nobody wants if something gets left out....go play intramurals.  Lots to workshop there...might take some time to set up.  I'm sure Mel Kiper would try to predict it though.  

I'd like to take the Wu-Tang Clan please.

[DixonHur 11338]

To be honest, I've always found it a little embarrassing that our school song is set to the music of I've Been Working on the Railroad.

I'd be 100% onboard with getting rid of it even without the racist history.

[mdmost 43004]

3 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

What someone FEELS based on LIES or ERRONEOUS FACTS is BULLSHIT. They need to be educated. This is a teaching moment.

Sure. Are you fine with a giant PSA before the Eyes are sung that talks about the history of the song including the minstrel shows? I mean others have put up a historical context of the song's history and you think these contexts are dubious.

Edited June 13, 2020 by mdmost

[Cairn Horn88 8269]

56 minutes ago, mdmost said:

 

Do I have to?

[Sgt Hulk 13785]

I think the obvious answer is Austin needs to take a play from thenCHAZ playbook in Seattle. Divorce itself from the country and start its own new history.   It’s really the only option left. 

[skeeter 454]

 

[Apex73 313]

58 minutes ago, mdmost said:

I mean a poll would work. You have shown you really don't give a shit to listen to what the other side wants to say. So back your claims up with something. 

Ive been listening to it since Ive been alive.  That doesn't mean I have to agree with every demand they make.  A poll of what exactly?  I have to show you a poll that says not all black people think the same way?  Sorry sir but respectfully look it the fuck up yourself.  It won't be hard to find someone with a different opinion.  Its not only my claim its just objective reality that not all black people think the same way.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Apex73